Community Foundation Offers Training in Planned Giving, plus Starting and Running Nonprofits

Chico, California (August 1, 2008) – Community members will have the opportunity to participate in three trainings provided by the North Valley Community Foundation’s Nonprofit Leadership Institute. On Friday, August 22, the training topic will be “How to Start a Nonprofit.” On Monday, August 25, the topic will be “Securing Your Future; Integrating Planned Giving into your organization.” On Friday, August 29, the topic will be “How to Build a Nonprofit.”

All sessions are held at The Training Place on the Chico Campus of Butte Community College. For further details and registration for this training, contact NVCF at 891-1150 or online at www.nvcf.org. Reservations should be made in advance, as space is limited.

“How to start a Nonprofit” will be a half day session, from 8:30AM – 12:30PM, Friday, August 22. Anyone interested in creating a nonprofit organization is encouraged to attend. If you are considering starting a nonprofit organization, or have taken the first steps toward creating one, this class is suited for you. This half-day class provides an overview of what you need to create a nonprofit organization, including legal requirements, mission statement, vision casting and building a productive board of directors. The trainers will be Laura Cootsona, a local consultant and trainer with extensive training and experience guiding nonprofit organizations, and Vada Bouffard, a financial consultant for nonprofits. The cost is $60.

“Securing Your Future; Integrating Planned Giving into your organization” is a full day session, from 9AM – 4:30PM, on Monday, August 25. The best planned giving program is a simple planned giving program. Whatever your organization’s size or budget or mission or history is, you are just as likely to receive a planned gift if you can do a few simple things. If you are an “in the trenches” executive, fundraising or development staff person (or board member) and want some concrete steps you can take to start and sustain your planned giving program, this is for you. The cost for the full day session is $100.

The trainer for this session is Maureen Pierce, Executive Director of Boys and Girls Club. Over the past 30 years she has worked with several non-profit organizations in the community. Maureen joined the staff of the Boys & Girls Club of Chico in 1997, and has led the organization through 10 years of growth.

“How to Build a Nonprofit,” will be a half day session, from 8:30AM – 12:30PM, Friday, August 29, This class is suitable for those starting a nonprofit and for those who may need basic information on how nonprofits should operate. Topics include strategic planning, marketing, fundraising and financial systems. This training is useful for the novice and seasoned staff or board member. The trainer will be Laura Cootsona, and the cost is $60

These trainings are part of an ongoing series from the Nonprofit Leadership Institute, a program of North Valley Community Foundation. For a small fee ($60 half day, $100 full day), you will save hundreds of dollars in mistakes, expensive consulting, or trips to the big city for training. Visit www.nvcf.org for a complete list of planned trainings.

“We are seeing great success in the nonprofit sector from these sessions. Laura Cootsona and our other trainers not only provide relevant and engaging information, but help participants develop strategies for immediate implementation,” states Alexa Valavanis, CEO of North Valley Community Foundation.

NVCF is a nonprofit, philanthropic organization that builds financial resources to meet community needs through grants and programs. With net assets of approximately $6 million, NVCF provides financial and administrative services to donors, professional advisors and nonprofit organizations with the goal of enriching the quality of life of its community members. Since 1989, hundreds of individuals, families, businesses, and community groups have established funds at the Foundation. NVCF is located at 3120 Cohasset Rd., Suite 8 in Chico. For further details and registration for this training, contact NVCF at 891-1150 or online at www.nvcf.org.